AAE Connection Warriors and Survivors Cancer Support Community Lends Support to Those in a Life-Changing Battle
By W. Craig Noblett, D.D.S., M.S., with contributions from Darya Dabiri, D.M.D., M.D.Sc.
Cancer: A word that strikes fear in the soul of patients when informed that is their diagnosis. Facing a life-threatening illness is difficult enough, but as endodontists, we are faced with the additional issues of what to do about our practices while we are undergoing treatment, accessing our disability insurance benefits, providing for our families, and facing the fear that there may not be a job or practice to which we can return if we survive. These points were precisely what prompted Dr. Darya Dabiri to contact me as a member of the AAE Executive Committee in hopes that we might develop a private network for endodontists, by endodontists to support members facing these life-altering circumstances. I don’t think she was aware at the time, but I myself am a cancer survivor, so her concerns resonated loud and clear with me, and so we turned our attention to developing a support resource for our members. We sought to establish a venue where members could share their experiences, ask questions, provide advice, and generally offer support to other endodontists facing the fight of a lifetime. Out of this search came the idea that establishing a discussion forum on our existing platform, the AAE Connection would provide an accessible resource for our members. Thus, the Warriors and Survivors Cancer Support Community was born. This discussion forum is now live on the Connection, so we encourage any member facing cancer, either personally or with a family member to join and voice your concerns and ask your questions. We can’t promise that we would have all the answers, but through sharing our experiences, we may be able to help each other navigate a profoundly challenging time. Joining Warriors and Survivors is not automatic. We have established further guidelines and rules of conduct to protect everyone’s privacy and sensitive information, so a preliminary questionnaire and participation agreement must be completed prior to becoming a member.
It is our sincere hope that providing a safe and supportive environment will in some small way help our members facing cancer find the answers and resources that they need as well as provide a friendly shoulder to cry on if needed. We will be there for you – and remember that we are better and stronger together.